Loose-leaf binder



Oct. 26; 1943- H. AUBURN LOOSE LEAF BINDER INVENTOR Filed May 23, 1941 HUBE RT AUBURN Patented Oct. 26, 1943 STATEfi angst? Looseear airman Hubert Auburn, Mount Healthy, Ohio, assignor to The Tenacity Manufacturing 00., Lockland, .Dhio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 23, 1941, Serial No. 394,913

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loose leaf binders of the so-called record book type.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a loose leaf binder of the record book type a mechanism for automatically, moving the pintle slides to a closed position when the impaling posts are" seated within their respective pintle-slidebar-housing notches. f

The present invention is directed, among other things, to the provision of simple, inexpensive, yet highly efficient means for automatically actuating the pintle engaging means of a loose leaf binder in such a manner as to obviate objectionable features found in the present day binder structures.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic pintle closing device .which includes an impaling post actuated trip member which is adapted to release the pintles from a non-impaling post engaging position to an impaling post engaging position.

These and other objects are attained by the means described h'erein and disclosed in the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end elevational view of a loose leaf record binder embodyingthe preent invention, with one cover in an open position. I

Fig. 2 is a top elevational view of the binder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan View of a pair of pintle slide bars and a latch member which comprise a binder locking mechanism, and an irnpaling post, showing the relationship of the in- Fig. 4. is a fragmentary longitudinal, sectional View through the tubular pintle-slide-barhousing 18 of the binder, showing the locking I of cover sections l2 and I3; secured to and car ried by wing members i4 and i 5 one edge of each of which is provided with aligned spaced hinge barrels Hi which are complementary to hinge barrels ii of back member 58, as disclosed in Fig. 2. Wing members I4 and i5 may be hingedly secured to the opposite longitudinal edges of back member It] by means of rods ll.

A pair of tubular pintle slide bar housings i8 may be permanently and rigidly secured to the opposite longitudinal edges of back member iii, by any suitable means, such as by welding, bolting, or the like. The upper or outer edges of housings 18 are preferably provided with a plurality of spaced notches 59. each of which are adapted to receive one end of an impaling post 28. Reciprocable means may be mounted in said housings for releasably securing the impaling posts relative to back member l5). Such means may comprise a pair of complementarypintle slide bars 2! and 22, which may be suitably mounted for simultaneous, movement in opposite directions along a common longitudinal axis by means of the double rack and pinion mechanism denoted generally by the numeral 23 of Fig. 3. Each pintle slide bar is provided with a plurality of pintles 25 which are adapted to engage apertures 28 provided in the opposite ends of vimpaling posts 243 for releas ablyengaging said posts for maintaining sheets thereon,"and for securing said posts relative. to back member to. V

Resilient means, such as spring 27 of Figs. 3 and 4, may be provided for normally andyieldingly urging the pintle slide bars to a pintle-post engaging position. It should be understood that in the structures disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4, springv 2i normally urges pintle slide bar 25 in the direction indicated by arrow 28, and pintle slide bar 22 isnormally urged in the direction indicated by arrow 29, whereby pintles 25 of the respective pintle slide bars are normally urged toward one another for engaging oppositeends of apertures 26 of impaling posts 29. i It should be noted ably maintaining thereciprocable pintle slide bars 2i and 22 in the inoperativeor non-postengaging position disclosed in .Figs. 3 and 4. Latch member 39 may comprise a piece of material such as sheet metal, or the like shaped to include an impaling-post-contact-portion 3| and a pintle slide bar engaging hook 32. Latch 30 may be mounted for pivotal movement about pivot pin 33 which may be carried by wing 34 of an L-shaped bracket 9, Wing 35 of which may be suitably secured relative to back member I0. Suitable means, such as spring 36 may be provided for yieldingly urging pintle slide bar hook 32 against edge 31 of pintle slide bar 22 whereby to automatically engage offset 38, provided in edge 31, whenever slide 22 has been retracted to.

the position disclosed in Fig. 3. It will be observed that pintles 25 will be maintained in the inoperative position of Figs. 3 and 4 so long as hook 32 of latch member 30 engages offset 38. Latch member 30 is preferably located adjacent notch I9 with its impaling-post-contact portion 3I disposed intermediate the adjacent side edges of said notch, as disclosed in Fig. 4.

Latch member 3!! may be simply yet positively released from its pintle slide bar engaging position incident to the introduction of an impaling post thereagainst in the direction indicated by headed arrow 39. As post 20 is moved to the left, latch member 30 will be pivoted about pin 33 thereby eiiecting disengagement of hook 3.2 from oiTset 38. The moment such disengagement is complete pintles will be shifted to a post engaging position under the influence of spring 21. necessary to provide but one trip or latch memher for the pintle slide bars housed within each tubular housing I8, since all of the various impaling posts of any particular binder will, under all normal conditions, simultaneously engage notches I9 of a pintle-slide-bar-housing, whereby all of the impaling posts may be simultaneously engaged by their respective pintles carried by the pintle slide bars.

Impaling posts 20 are adapted to be disconnected from back member II] when the pintle post bar 2I has been manually withdrawn from tubular housing I8 against the counterforce of the spring means which normally urge the pintle slide bars to a pintle impaling post engaging position. As soon as pintles 25 have been shifted by an amount to be completely withdrawn from apertures 26 of the various impaling posts 20 comprising a binder, the trip or latch member 30 is adapted to releasably engage pintle slide bar 2! for maintaining the pintles in a non postengaging position.

The pintle slide bar may be released from an inoperative position when the trip or latch memher is depressed incident to the insertion of an impaling post into its associated notch I9. Each impaling post is adapted to be freely inserted into its respective tubular-housing-notch I9 whereby to locate aperture 26 in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the pintles. It will be observed that the impaling post is not subjected to wear or mutilation incident to actuation of the trip or latch members.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the locking mechanism of the present invention is rendered operative by an impaling post whereby the locking operation occurs While the covers are open and under the very eyes of an operator.

It should be observed that the impaling posts may be introduced into their respective tubular-housing-notches I9 by urging cover member I 2, Fig. l, to the right in the direction indicated by headed arrow 60, for shifting the uppermost tubular housing I8 toward the upper apertured ends of impaling posts 20, whereby the It should be understood that it is record sheets 6I impaled on posts 20 and cover I3 will assume the relative positions disclosed. An alternative method of introducing impaling posts 20 into notches I9 is to hold cover I2 in the position indicated in Fig. 1 and apply force to sheets 6| in the direction indicated by the headed arrow 62 for pivoting the impaling posts about their respective pintle connections with the lowermost tubular housing I8.

It will be observed that the actuation of latch member 30 is entirely independent of the relative location or position of cover members I2 and I3, whereby the impaling posts of a record binder may be automatically engaged while the binder is in an open condition. It should likewise be observed that inasmuch as each of the various impaling posts are engaged by their respective pintles only after said posts have been fully seated within their respective notches IQ of tubular housing I8, said posts are not and cannot be subjected to mutilation and wear. Impaling post wear and mutilation presents a seri' ous and sizable problem to the users of record type loose leaf binders, which problem has been not only solved, but is completely obviated by the present device. Heretofore eiiorts have been made to solve the problem of wear and mutilation to which the impaling posts are subjected by. constructing them with special impaling posts which, though more expensive than the so-called standard impaling posts as disclosed in Figs. 6 and 7, have nevertheless failed to satisfactorily solve the problem. Inasmuch as the locking mechanism of the present invention does not depend upon any special characteristics of the impaling post which actuates the latch member, the present device may be operated with maximum efficiency using the so-called standard, inexpensive impaling posts of Figs. 6 and 7, which are easily obtainable throughout the civilized World.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a binder comprising a back member, a tubular housing secured to said back member and having notches in the edge thereof, posts for cooperation with the edge notches of said housing, a pair of oppositely movable pintle bars located within said housing and including pintles for each post, means for yieldingly urging said bars to post engaging positions, a latch member located at one of said notches, cooperating means associated with said latch member and one of said pintle bars for releasably maintaining said pintle bars in inoperative position out of engagement with said posts and against the counteriorce of said first mentioned means, said latch member adapted to be engaged by a post for releasing said pintle bars to automatically engage said posts incident to movement of the posts into the notches of said housing,

2. In a device of the class described the combination which comprises a back member, a tubular housing rigidly secured to and carried by said back member and having notches in the edge thereof, sheet impaling posts having ends adapted to be received in said notches, a pair of oppositely movable pintle bars located within said housing and including pintles for each post, means for yieldingly urging said bars in opposite directions to post engaging positions, a rack and pinion connection between said bars for synchronizing their relative movements, means for holding said pintle bars out of post engaging position, said means being released when engaged by an impaling post incident to the seating of said post within its respective housing notch for releasing said post engaging bars to post engaging position.

3. In a device of the class described a binder comprising in combination, a back member, a pair of inverted U-shaped pintle rod housings rigidly secured to the opposite longitudinal edges of said back member and having notches provided in the upper edges thereof, impalingposts having ends bar engaging hook, a latch support located externally of and adjacent one of said notches, said latch mounted to said latch support by a pivot pin whereby said impaling post contact portion and the pintle slide bar engaging hook of said latch are disposed on opposite sides of said pivot pin, hook engaging means provided in that pintle slide bar adjacent said latch support, said impaling post contact portion dimensioned for movement about said pivot pin in said notch and in the plane of that Wall of the pintle slide housing adjacent said latch support, said hook adapted to engage said hook engaging means of said pintle slide bar for'releasably locking said pintle slide bars in an inoperative retracted position, said latch adapted to be disengaged from said pintle slide bar incident to the insertion of an impaling post into said notch and the alignment of the ends of said pintle posts with their respective pintles whereby the impaling posts will be simultaneously engaged by their respective pintles incident to movement of the pintle slide bars to a closed, impaling post engaging position.

'4. In a device of the class described a binder comprising in combination, a back member, a pair of inverted U-shaped pintle rod housings rigidly secured to the opposite longitudinal edges of said back member and having notches provided in the upper edges thereof, impaling posts having ends adapted to be received within said notches, a pair of oppositely movable pintle slide bars located within said housing and including pintles for each post, means for yieldingly urging said pintle slide-bar members in opposite directions to post engaging positions, a rack and pinion connection between said pintle slide bars for synchronizing their movements,- of a latch member including an impaling post contact portion and a pintle slide bar engaging hook, a latch support located externally of and adjacent one of said notches,said latch mounted to said latch support by a pivot pin whereby said impaling post contact portion and the pintle slide bar engaging I hook of said latch are disposed on opposite sides of said pivot pin, hookengaging means provided in that pintle slide bar adjacent said latch support, said impaling post contact portion dimensioned for movement about said pivot pin in said notch and in theplane of that wall of the pintle slide housing adjacent said latch support, said hook adapted to engage said hook engaging means of said pintle slide bar for releasably locking said pintle slide bars in an inoperative retracted position, said latch adapted to be disengaged from said pintle slide bar incident to the insertion of an impaling post into said notch and the alignment of the ends of said pintle posts within their respective pintles whereby the impaling posts "will be simultaneously engaged by their respective pintles incident to movement of the pintle slide bars to a closed, impaling postengaging position, the impaling post contact portion of said latch being so disposed relative to said notch and impaling post engaging pintles therefor so as to preclude accidental or unintentional tripping of to their respective pintles;

. HUBERT AUBURN. 

